What are you saying to your pastor?

Words matter.

You know they do.

You have, at different times in your life, been lifted by kind and encouraging words, and have been crushed by cruel and disparaging words. So have I.

And so has your pastor.

Arthur Myers, writing in the Berkshire Sampler, shared how some parishioners hard-pressed for something to say to the pastor after the service have, according to one minister’s friend said to him …

“You always manage to find something to fill up the time.”

“I don’t care what they say, I like your sermons.”

“If I’d known you were going to be good today I’d have brought a neighbor.”

“Did you know there are 243 panes of glass in the windows?”

“We shouldn’t make you preach so often.”

Have you considered what you’re saying to your pastor?

Because we expect so much from these men, we tend to be extraordinarily careless with our words and think we can say anything without it having a negative impact on them.

I’ll let you in on a secret — your pastor is every bit as human as you are, and your choice of words conveyed to them do affect them.

Sadly, during the pandemic the past couple years, disunity has risen among many congregations, and what people have been saying to their pastors is harsher and less considerate. That at a time when the demands and weight of shepherding a flock were the heaviest in our lifetime.

Let’s change that.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month, a time for purposely, thoughtfully, and generously expressing sincere appreciation for our pastors — for the people they are, and all they do for the cause of Christ. This is a great time to shower them with words of kindness, encouragement, love, support, and sincere appreciation. Let me encourage you to go out of your way to share words of appreciation with your pastor this month. They’ve never needed it more, and it will make a difference in their lives.

Scotty